


Teddy Bears Give The Best Cuddles

by NoirAngel011



Series: Snapshots Of The March Girls; From 1861 To 1865 [4]
Category: Little Women Series - Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Common Cold, Couch Cuddles, Other, Rain, Sickfic, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:24:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21760858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoirAngel011/pseuds/NoirAngel011
Summary: Jo's sick on a rainy day and Teddy gives the best cuddles, even if it means he gets sick too.Just a cute little drabble, featuring Jo, Laurie, and a cold. They deserved more tender moments like these. Based on the 2017 miniseries.
Relationships: Theodore Laurence & Josephine March
Series: Snapshots Of The March Girls; From 1861 To 1865 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566445
Kudos: 17





	Teddy Bears Give The Best Cuddles

The coughing was constant at this point, and Jo was tired of it. She couldn't seem to get her nose to stop dripping. She sniffed, burying her nose into the tissue she was holding.

“Knock knock,” came a voice from the top of the stairs. Jo had hidden out in the garret, not moving from her couch since six am that morning. The cold of the attic was helping cool down her fever. Rain was pouring down outside, and there was a small leak in the roof over in the far right corner of the room. It had been there for months. There was a bucket meant to catch the water, but it hardly ever worked.

“Go away, Teddy. I feel gross,” she mumbled, tugging her blankets around herself tighter. Two of the March girls were out, Amy at school, Meg at work, while Beth was downstairs playing on the piano. Marmee had gone to Aunt March’s, leaving Jo and Beth home alone.

“I am not going to leave you alone in your suffering up here. Let me help you,” Laurie said. He was holding something, and Jo peeked her head up from her pile of blankets.

“I brought tea,” he held up the cup with a dorky smile on his face, trying to get Jo to laugh. She smiled, a dull sparkle returning to her eyes.

He set it down on the table near her couch and pulled the blankets away from her face. Her cheeks were flushed red and the rest of her skin was sheet white. 

“You’re gonna freeze to death up here. It’s like 30 degrees outside!” he handed her the tea, brushing the hair out of her face as she lifted it to her mouth.

“It’s too hot downstairs,” Jo said in between sips.

“Hardly. The fire was dying when I came in, and Beth only had one candle lit in the parlor.” He helped her hold the cup, her shaking hands unable to lift the weight of it.

“Do you want to go downstairs?” he asked, feeling along her forehead. She was warm, but not too hot. She really needed to cool down though. 

“No. It’s comfy up here.” Jo shook her head lightly.

Suddenly, she broke out into yet another coughing fit. Laurie set down the tea and slid down on the couch next to her.

He rubbed her back, brushing the long hair out of her fever-flushed face. When finally the coughing ceased, she pulled away from where her face was buried in her hands. Her eyes were red from the force of the coughing, and Laurie felt terrible for her.

“Have you taken any medicine, belladonna? Castor oil?”

Jo looked up at him, rubbing a hand along her chest, trying to soothe her coughing.

“No. We don’t have a lot and Beth needs it more than I do. Her headaches have been terrible since she fell ill last winter.” Jo shook her head. She would rather Beth have the medicine she needed than for herself to take it for her comfort sake when she could bear the pain.

Laurie cringed at the sound of her voice. It was hoarse and rough. He throat was scratchy and just breathing through her mouth seemed to hurt.

“It’s simply a cold. I’ll be fine.” She was choking on her words and kept coughing, the force of conversation making her throat close up and her head throb. Laurie handed Jo the tea back.

“I’m sure Beth wouldn’t want you to be in pain for her sake. She’s perfectly fine, and you look like you’re about to drop dead,” Laurie was still sat next to her on the couch, it barely fitting the two of them.

Jo shook her head again.

“No. I don’t want it.”

Laurie sighed.

“Very well. But if you’re fever gets higher I’m making you take some belladonna, understand?” he looked at her sternly.

She nodded her head, taking another drink of her tea.

Jo leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. She held the almost empty cup out to him.

“Tired?” he asked. Jo hummed in response a vague ‘yes’. He took the cup from her and set it down on the ground, out of the way.

“Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

“I’d feel better if you held me, Teddy,” she smiled at him lazily, her blue eyes dull and fever-clouded, but still bright. She knew she had him wrapped around her finger.

Laurie smiled at the nickname. “Of course, darling.” He smiled even wider, seeing her brows furrow as she smacked his hand.

He took her into his arms, letting her settle against his chest.

“Never call me that again.” she shook her head.

“Whatever you say, Josephine.”

She laughed at that, a bright smile on her face.

“You’re hand is cold,” she muttered, leaning into his touch as his hand rested on the side of her face.

“You’re just warm,” he shook his head. Laurie wished that she would take some medicine, but she refused. The least he could do was cuddle her until the sickness passed.

“We should do this more often. You’re like a big teddy bear,” Jo mumbled, letting her eyes fall closed.

He laughed at that, running a hand through her hair.

He knew he might catch her cold from cuddling her like this, but he didn’t care if it meant she could be comfortable.

“Feel better, Jo,” He whispered, letting her drift off to the sound of the rain outside.


End file.
